There was a post on a thread recently that asked “Does anyone have a success story” and this intrigued me and I began to think about an answer. Even though when I start thinking a lot of things can go wrong, I will let you be the judge and jury after you read this blog.

What is it about SparkPeople that works so well for so many? Good question. I am sure that many have asked that question, especially those who have made an attempt to lose weight and improve their health with limited or no success. So why is SP successful for some and not others? Here are some of my thoughts.

SparkPeople is NOT a magic pill that will dissolve weight overnight. It is nothing more than a tool and any tool, not applied with diligence and commitment, is absolutely worthless. An expensive hammer makes not a carpenter.

You know it and I know it. We must work at it every hour of every day. That being said SP is one of those rare tools where one can consistently get more out of it that is put into it. That is synergism and it comes from the great support that each member gives to the others. That is what every other program/diet lacks as far as I know. I honestly believe that without these support systems that we have, maintenance is almost doomed to failure.

I have had incredible (at least for me) success with SparkPeople.

I have been on every diet imaginable and have had success in a few but NONE gave me the support system that is the hallmark of SP.

Many of you know my personal story but I believe it bears repeating here

In the early 80's, I weighed at least 335 lb.( that is the highest my scale would register) and I was a heart attack looking for a place to happen, Well, it did happen and I had my first bypass. Then in 1996 I was diagnosed as Type 2 diabetic and was put on the "Well let’s try this med and see what happens" roller coaster, and what a roller coaster it has been.

. I bounced between the high of 335 to a momentary low of 200 and was back to 235 in 2008 and had my second bypass in 2009. Through brute force, I “trimmed” down to 226 when I found SP in April 2011. Now I am proud to say that I am at 164 this morning and my A1c is 5.7 and I have now been declared diabetes free. Not cured mind you, just in total control! I am not taking any more meds for T2 but as a precaution, I test 3 times a day. Another benefit that I have achieved is that I have gone from 17 prescriptions a day to 3 and I attribute this to weight loss. It can't be from intense work outs as I am a lousy example of being in that category. Being 77, certain workouts are simply not in the realm of realization. Or is that I am rationalizing?

I have dropped from a very tight 54” pant (think Pillsbury dough boy) to a 34”

To me, the answer to my original question of why does SP work so well is, in a word, commitment. Like in a breakfast of bacon and eggs, “The chicken makes a contribution, but the pig is all in with total commitment”. I decided to let SP become an obsession, how about you?

So it boils down to "If it’s to be, it’s up to me" doesn't it? That is what works for me.

And yes, I am proud to be an evangelist for SP.

Have a great 2013 – ONWARD AND UPWARD.